Turkish press review

On Wednesday Turkish dailies covered the completion of another face transplant surgery in Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's criticism of the Spor Toto Super League championship cup ceremony and an accident at a hydroelectric power plant construction site.

Most newspapers reported on Turkey's fourth face transplant surgery, performed by Dr. Ömer Özkan at Akdeniz University's School of Medicine Hospital. The face and ears of 19-year-old Tevfik Yılmaz were transplanted onto 34-year-old Turan Colak. Dr. Özkan said the surgery was very successful, adding, “It was beyond a transplant.” The operation lasted for nine hours. Yılmaz's organs were donated to five people.

Another topic widely reported in the Turkish press was Erdoğan's criticisms of incidents that broke out after the final game between the Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray football teams. Erdoğan said there were three results in football: victory, defeat and a tie. He added: “You shall bear the consequences of these three results. It is nonsense to present the cup to the champion in a locker room. It is nonsense to turn off the lights of the stadium during the cup ceremony. The ceremony should have been held honestly and bravely and in the middle of the stadium.” Galatasaray won the championship of Turkey's premier football league, the Spor Toto Super League.

Dailies also covered an accident at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in the town of Dereli in the Black Sea province of Giresun. A landslide at the construction site killed four workers and severely injured another. The mayor of Dereli stated that snowmelt was the cause of the landslide.